Parent and Coach Informa�on

Soccer for Life Leagues

LTPD and Leagues for Ages 13 and Up

Physical Literacy (Grassroots) = Development

of all players ages 4 to 12

Excellence (Talented) = Pursuit of excellence

for ages 13+

Soccer for Life = Compe��ve and recrea�on-

al soccer for ages 13+

You are here!

Soccer for Life

(S4L) Leagues

Compe��on Level

Objec�ve Coaching

Qualifica�on Program

Hours Ra�o (Prac�ce

: Play)

Player descrip�on

Provincial

Pursuing

compe��ve

excellence

Na�onal B MED

RiS

250 –

400

hours

4:1 Mo�vated and possessing

the ability to play soccer at

the highest level provin-

cially

Regional

Advancing

compe��ve development

Provincial B MED

RiS

150 –

250

hours

3:1 Enjoys focusing more �me

to training and playing

District

Introduc�on

to compe��ve

development

Pre B MED

RiS

75 – 150

hours 2:1 Enjoys playing but wants to

take soccer more seriously

Local

Compe�ng for

enjoyment Soccer for

Life course

MED

RiS

25 – 75

hours 1:1 Enjoys playing soccer with

friends

An Overview of Compe��on Levels for ages 13+

Which level best describes your child’s team or the team that you coach?

The three key outcomes of Long-

Term Player Development (LTPD)

How LTPD and the New Compe��on

Levels Fit Together

• Developmentally

appropriate

• Meaningful compe��on

• Striving to be affordable

and accessible

S4LLEAGUES

OverHalfDropoutbyAge13

Researchhasshownthatupto70%ofchildrendropoutof

sportbytheageof13.TheOntarioSoccerAssociationhas

thedatatoshowthisishappeninginsoccerrighthere,right

now.Childrentellustheyareleavingbecause:

1. Nothavingfunanymore

2. Toomuchpressure

3. Notenoughplayingtime

The #1 reason why kids say they par�cipate in sport? FUN! Also, research done with the game in

England and the United States has shown that kids would rather be on a losing team and get lots

of game �me than be on a winning team and spend more �me siBng on the bench.

IT’SGOTTOBEFUN!

Moving away from a pathway that excludes

players to one that is inclusive.

Team movement from U12 to U13 will not

be done using promotion and relegation.

Instead a set of player-centered criteria

will be used and will feature districts,

leagues and clubs working together to

place teams properly.

VIBRANT!

REWARDING!

S4L—Recrea�on for Life Leagues

Is for the player who enjoys the game, wants to stay fit and play soccer with

their friends but not commit to increased training or travel. Players in this

pathway are likely to train once per week and play once per week or only

play matches. Soccer in this pathway will most likely occur within a club

(i.e., house league) or at a local level between neighbouring clubs or

communi�es which would mean more travel than tradi�onal house league.

It could also occur as part of a District League which would mean more

travel again but s�ll considered recrea�onal. A player at this level could

also move between this level and the Compe��ve for Life pathway

depending on his/her development and advancement as a player.

S4L—Compe��ve for Life Leagues

Two levels of

play means

two choices

Is for the player who is more driven and mo�vated to progress in soccer and that is pre-

pared to dedicate more �me to soccer through training to compete at a higher level. A

player at this level could move between this level and the Talented Pathway depending

on his/her development. However the level of commitment and ability level of the player

increases the further the player progresses within the compe��ve structure. For exam-

ple a Regional League will be a very high standard of soccer where players will be training

2-3 �mes per week and playing once per week whereas in a district league players would

be training 1-2 �mes per week and playing once per week. A player could also move to

the Recrea�on for Life Pathway if he/she wanted a soccer program with less

commitment and less intensity.

Leagues will be formed not on District

Associa�on boundaries alone but also by

considering what makes the most sense

for the players. The goal is to have

reasonable travel �mes wherever and

whenever possible. Players should be able

to get the programming they need as

close to home for as long as possible.

That’s LTPD!

Simplifying...